| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Thursday, March 11, 2004
9:00am ET | |
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| • | Bush Administration Today Expected To Announce Major Andro Crackdown |
| • | House Subcommittee To Hear Testimony Today On College Recruiting Scandals |
| • | NHL To Announce Ruling On Canucks RW Todd Bertuzzi Today At 9:00am ET |
| • | Red Sox-Run Lottery For Right To Buy Right-Field Roof Seats Begins Today |
| • | LPGA Today Begins 54th Season With Welch’s/Fry’s Championship In Tucson |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO ANNOUNCE ANDRO CRACKDOWN TODAY
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that the Bushadministration today “is expected to announce a major crackdown on thesteroid-like substance widely known as andro.” The FDA is expected to send “warning letters to about two dozencompanies that make and distribute products containing andro.” The Bush administration also “plans toannounce its support for a bill by [Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sen. JosephBiden (D-DE)], that would place andro and other steroid precursors underthe same restrictions that apply to anabolic steroids” (WALLSTREET JOURNAL, 3/11).
COLLEGE RECRUITING ISSUE TO GO BEFORE CONGRESS TODAY
USA TODAY reports that for a second consecutive day, Congress “will deal with a sports issuedominating the news. Today’s topic:college sports recruiting.” Univ. ofColorado President Betsy Hoffman is scheduled to appear before the HouseEnergy & Commerce Committee’s consumer protection subcommittee, “which hasjurisdiction over certain sports-related issues.” U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL): “We have an obligation toask if the rules the NCAA has put in place are working.” NCAA VP David Berst: “Any light onthe matter is probably a benefit” (USATODAY, 3/11).
NHL TO HAND DOWN TODD BERTUZZI RULING TODAY AT 9:00am ET
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the NHL willannounce its ruling on Canucks RW Todd Bertuzzi today at 9:00am ET. Bertuzzi met with league officials for adisciplinary hearing yesterday afternoon at the NHL offices in Toronto for“just over an hour” (TheGLOBEandMAIL.com,3/11).
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL also notes that Bertuzzi“delivered a short, tearful statement to the media [last night], in which heapologized directly” to Avalanche F Steve Moore. Bertuzzi stopped “several times to composehimself and wipe away tears” (TheGLOBEandMAIL.com,3/11).
Each of the network morning shows today teased with news ofBertuzzi (THE DAILY).
LOTTERY TO BUY FENWAY RIGHT-FIELD ROOF SEATS BEGINS TODAY
The BOSTON HERALD reports that Internet registration for aRed Sox-run lottery to purchase right-field roof seats at Fenway Park beginstoday at 2:00pm ET. Most games “will retail for $75 each, with atop tier of 17 higher-profile showdowns fetching $100 each. The tickets, though, will be sold only ingroups of four, matching the new section’s seating.” The rollout includes a “lucrative sponsorship deal givingBudweiser naming rights to the section, plus a big sign above it” (BOSTONHERALD, 3/11).
LPGA TODAY BEGINS 54th SEASON WITH WELCH’S/FRY’S CHAMPIONSHIP
The LPGA today begins its 54th season with the$800,000 Welch’s/Fry’s Championship at Dell Urich Golf Club in Tucson, AZ, andthe L.A. TIMES notes that in ’99, “only 12 LPGA events had prize money of atleast $1[M], but there are 27 this year.” Attendance and TV viewership “are on the rise and … the organization isstill on the rise.” The LPGA is“targeting a goal of reaching 200 million households in 80 countries thisyear. As much as half of the LPGA’stelevision revenue comes from rights fees from international broadcasts.” Recent reports have said that the LPGA“posted $20[M] in international retail sales of LPGA licensed goods” in ’03 (L.A.TIMES, 3/11).
TODAY THE DAILY GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH…
What hoopscommentator once made an appearance on the cult TV classic “The White Shadow”and even reached the silver screen as an alien cop in a Dolph Lundgrenflick? To find out, please see today’s Sports Industrialists section of TheDaily.
MORNING BRIEFS
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that Viacom channels havebeen restored to EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network “after the companiesagreed to a long-term deal.” Servicewas restored after the agreement was finalized shortly after 1:00am ET (WALLSTREET JOURNAL, 3/11).
The TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that Boston Market isthe “newest member of the corporate sponsor lineup” for the Devil Rays. The deal will be announced today(TAMPATRIBUNE, 3/11).
The ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS reports thatowners and operators of more than 80 bars and restaurants in St. Paul “signed a petition that arrived at CityHall on Wednesday with a simple point: we don’t like Mayor Randy Kelly’splan to tax food and drinks to pay for a baseball stadium” (ST. PAULPIONEER PRESS, 3/11).
TheWASHINGTON POST reports that MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “pledged yesterdayto propose a new” pension arrangement within a month for a group of former NegroLeagues players who “either began their careers after 1947 or failed to logfour seasons, [and] has agitated for some sort of compensation since theoriginal plan’s creation” (WASHINGTONPOST, 3/11).
The Major League Lacrosse Baltimore Bayhawks yesterdayannounced that the team will play their six home games during the ’04 season atJohnny Unitas Stadium at Towson Univ., marking the third time in four seasonsthe team has started their season in a new stadium (Baltimore SUN, 3/11).
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that the Georgia SupremeCourt “heard the argument Tuesday that victims of the CentennialOlympic Park bombing should be allowed to sue Atlanta’s 1996 Olympicsorganizers for failing to secure and evacuate the park before the fatalexplosion.” The court is “expected todecide the issue later this year” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/11).
Prospective Hawks/Thrashers/Philips Arena Owner SteveBelkin, on the possibility of Stan Kasten being a CEO for theorganization: “Stan … is not going to be the CEO, and we are talking to himabout what possible [other] role he would be interested in.” The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION reports that allindications “continue to point to” NBA Senior VP/Team Marketing & BusinessOperations Bernie Mullin as the group’s choice for CEO (ATLANTACONSTITUTION, 3/11).
The BOSTON HERALD reports that the Celtics “plan to file agrievance with arbiter Roger Kaplanas early as today seeking to recoup additional relief from Vin Baker’s$36[M] contract.” Baker is “expected tolearn today from Kaplan whether or not he can sign with another team while hisgrievance with the Celtics is being debated.” An arbitration hearing on Baker’s contract termination will be held onApril 12 and 13 (BOSTONHERALD, 3/11).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
GOLF WORLD notes that sports satire Web siteSportspickle.com reported that Tiger Woods’ fiancée, Elin Nordegren,has “befriended John Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, as a means oflearning ‘first-hand how she was able to make so large an impact on such agreat man’s career.’ … Unfortunately, one newspaper, the Santa Cruz Sentinel,picked up the story and ran it as though it were true” (GOLF WORLD, 3/12issue).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
| | |
| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
A-B VP/Global Media & Sports Marketing Tony Ponturowill host a 10:30am ET conference call to announce two new Olympic sponsorshipsfor the Budweiser brand.
The WTA Tour will make an 11:45am PT sponsorshipannouncement at the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, CA. WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott and players LindsayDavenport and Anastasia Myskina are expected to participate.
The Philadelphia chapter of the National Sports MarketingNetwork will host a 9:00am ET panel discussion at Wachovia Center that includesComcast SportsNet Senior VP & GM Stephanie Smith, VP/TechnicalOperations Bob Ayars and VP/Programming Tom Stathakes.
The Padres will host an 11:30am PT ceremony to dedicate TonyGwynn Drive at Petco Park. SanDiego Mayor Dick Murphy and Padres Owner & Chair John Mooresare expected to attend. For more ontonight’s opening of Petco Park, please see Closing Bell.
361° Sports + Event Marketing will host a panel discussion,“The Business of College Sports,” from 9:30-11:00am ET at the Foote Cone &Belding offices in N.Y. 361°Sports + Event Marketing VP & Management Dir Bill Schoonmaker willmoderate a panel that includes SI on Campus Editor Chris Stone, CSTVExec VP/Sales Andy Coleman, ESPN/ABC Sports Dir of Event Marketing &Sales Rob Temple and Univ. of Pittsburgh Assistant AD for Sponsorships,Radio & TV Rex Hough.
The Seminar Group will host a workshop entitled“Representing an Athlete” from 9:00am-noon MT at the Pointe Hilton Squaw PeakResort in Phoenix.
CBS’ “The Late Late Show” host Craig Kilborn willhost “2004 HD Expo: Race Into the Future With Technology” from 1:00-9:30pm PTat Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A. Kilborn will conduct a one-on-one with HDNet co-Founder & CEO MarkCuban.
The CFL Edmonton Eskimos will participate in a“get-to-know-you” meeting with the independent Northern League in Chicago,where Eskimos COO Rick LeLacheur will sit down with Northern LeagueCommissioner Mike Stone and the league’s expansion committee (EDMONTONSUN, 3/5).
IN OTHER NEWS….
The N.Y. TIMES reports that Association of NationalAdvertisers President & CEO Robert Liodice yesterday “announcedunexpectedly” that members of his organization “would meet with theircounterparts at agencies that buy commercial time to discuss the difficulties[with the process] and seek some solutions. The grouprepresents 340 companies that spend $100[B] a year on marketingcommunications.” Of respondents whosaid they take part in the upfront market, 56.5% described themselves as“somewhat or very dissatisfied with the process” (N.Y. TIMES,3/11).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “20thCentury Writers.”
“In the ‘50s, she taught English at Smith College, thenworked as a secretary at a Boston psychiatric clinic.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
NBC’sJay Leno: “Another scorcher here in California. Another 90-degree-day. I was sweating like Jerry Falwell ata gay wedding. ... UCLA is in trouble now for cutting up cadavers and sellingoff the body parts. Isn’t thathorrible? Actually, police now think itwas part of a plot by UCLA to collect various body parts until they had enoughto put together a halfway decent basketball team. ... A California statesenator has proposed an amendment to the California state constitution thatwould lower the voting age to 14. Thisis ridiculous. You know what wouldhappen if we allowed 14-year-olds to vote? We’d wind up with someone like an action hero as governor. ... What doesMichael Jackson call a 14-year-old voter? Dangling Chad. ... Martha Stewart met with her probationofficer this week. You knowsomething? She’s in denial, thiswoman. She still doesn’t get it. After their first visit, she tried to firethe guy and she keeps telling people now she’s moving to a gated community. ...Attorney General John Ashcroft had surgery this week. His condition is listed as orange” ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 3/10).
LATENIGHT LAUGHS:
Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart: “There’s a littledispute going on in the world right now that I think I need to make you awareof. Apparently there’s a company thatdistributes television through satellite dishes – EchoStar is the name ofthem. They have pulled all of my parentcompany’s programming. My parentcompany, of course, Viacom, raised me since I was a little emcee. They’ve pulled all the programming and sothese people who get EchoStar have no access to ‘The Daily Show.’ And fine, it’s not for me. Listen, I’ll go to the people’s houses anddo it at night anyway. I don’t have aproblem with that. I’ll go door todoor. It’s really about theSpongeBob. You can’t deprive thesepeople of the SpongeBob. March Madnessis about to start. You’re keepingpeople away from that. And you may besaying to yourselves, this is no big deal. This’ll get resolved. We’ll justhold the line. We’ll be hard-assesabout this. Let me explainsomething. This is what happened inHaiti. Everything was fine there andthen they took away the SpongeBob. Andall of a sudden, Bang! Bang! Hell in the streets. Bloodshed. I’m just saying, when people don’t get their SpongeBob, people getupset” (“The Daily Show,” Comedy Central, 3/10).
WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Next Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Canucks RW Todd Bertuzzi | LeBron James; Grizzlies |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Todd Bertuzzi | NHL’s image; Congressional hearing on steroids |
| ESPN | 11:30pm ET “SportsCenter” | Wizards-Magic | Todd Bertuzzi; Lakers-Celtics |
| FSN | “New England Sports Tonight” | Lakers-Celtics | Boston College-Georgetown; Red Sox P Pedro Martinez |
| FSN | “Southern Sports Report” | Congressional hearing on steroids | South Carolina-Arkansas; UGA’s NCAA chances |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“Who was Sylvia Plath?”
If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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